Jean Davis, an art therapist, and Nancy Wu, an architectural designer, have been transforming glass shards collected from the landfill into stunning pieces of art.
When the Covid-19 pandemic shut down playgrounds and parks, bringing the world to a standstill, two artists discovered an unlikely sanctuary in a Brooklyn landfill beach. This hidden corner not only provided them a place to escape the constraints of the lockdown. It also spawned their unique art collaboration.
Jean Davis is an art therapist, and Nancy Wu is an architectural designer. Together they have been transforming glass shards collected from the landfill into stunning pieces of art. They met over eight years ago through their daughters. Despite their different artistic backgrounds, their friendship thrived, and resulted in a creative partnership.
I first learned of Jean and Nancy’s inspiring journey at New York City’s Artexpo this past April. Their art and creative process immediately captured my attention and I arranged to meet them at their newly opened art gallery, Resurrect Studio, on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. “During the pandemic, when restrictions were in place and public spaces were off-limits, we discovered this landfill in Brooklyn,” recalls Jean. ‘’ It became a sanctuary for us.” She adds: ‘’Nobody wants to go to a landfill. Nobody’s interested in walking around there, but there’s actually something very beautiful about it. So, we found ourselves going down there.’’
Unearthing History in Discarded Glass
Initially, their visits to the landfill were simply a way to escape the confines of their homes. They had no intention of turning collected glass into art. “It was just a place to kind of go and be in a time when it was really hard to be,” Jean explains.
However, their casual trips to the landfill quickly evolved into something more meaningful. They began to see potential in the pieces they found—remnants of Depression-era glass, antique dishware, and other historical artifacts.
They would collect pieces of glass and bring them home, washing and sorting them before starting to experiment. ‘’There was nothing preconceived, nothing, no idea about what was to come, including our friendship,’’ Jean says.
‘’We are artists but that was not the intention at all, but everything started to unfold from there. We started to collect things that were interesting to us.’’ Jean and Nancy would often find fragments of these rare items during their scavenging trips. Occasionally a whole piece might surface. Yet it was the fragments that truly captivated them. These shards, with their engravings and soft hues of pale yellow, green, and pink, revealed a bygone era.
It was a journey of discovery. Their first attempts fell flat until one day Nancy suggested a different approach, giving their creations a new dimension and bringing them to life. Each piece of glass told a story, and they found themselves creating art from these stories. Their art began to take shape, transforming into distinctive sculptures.
Nancy likens the creative process to welcoming a new student into a classroom, where each found object brings a unique energy and potential. “It’s almost like you have your colors of different things to work with,” she explains.
Their artwork also serves as a historical narrative. ‘’ This is not just glass. You don’t find much plastic down there. It’s a 100-year-old glass. It’s from the Great Depression. It’s from a whole other time here in New York. City. So, we think of these as not only sculptures but as historic artifacts.’’ Jean says.
‘’If you look at some of these pieces, you just don’t see this kind of dishware anymore. You don’t see windows made of this kind of thick glass, so everything in here has elements of history. Recycling is great. A lot of artists are doing that. But I think what draws me in more is sort of the story, the history, the nostalgia.’’
The allure of discovering new pieces was too great to resist and they kept going to the beach. They have learned when to go, usually after storms when the tide brings in new debris. Each trip resembles a scavenger hunt, bringing new surprises to them.
Therapeutic Power of Art
Working together as artists brought a unique dynamic to their process. Jean, with her therapeutic background, and Nancy, with her architectural sensibilities, complemented each other perfectly. “Jean is all about the insides and the feelings and emotions, and there’s blending,” Nancy says.
Jean often starts a piece, finding inspiration in the glass and its history, while Nancy brings in her architectural eye, pushing the limits of structure and form. “It’s therapeutic,” Jean adds. “There’s a psychological and emotional component to our work, reflecting our backgrounds and our approach to life.”
“I like to use the analogy of looking in the refrigerator and finding just a few scant ingredients. You can still pull together something that looks good, tastes good, and has the right texture, color, and nutrients,’’ says Nancy.
Nancy likens their creative process to a culinary adventure. ‘’It’s like the catch of the day — fishermen go out to sea, not knowing what they’ll bring back, and sometimes it’s not the best, but that’s what you live with. Our work involves unique pieces that might never be seen again.’’
“We are artists but that was not the intention at all, but everything started to unfold from there. We started to collect things that were interesting to us.’’
Their artwork also serves as a historical narrative. “This is not just glass. You don’t find much plastic down there. It’s 100-year-old glass.
From Landfill to Gallery
Over the years, Jean and Nancy have created over 80 pieces of art, selling 20 of them and showcasing their work in various exhibitions. Their art has been featured in magazines and international venues.
One standout is a piece called “Rapture,” inspired by the idea of shaking off negative energy and finding peace, much like the ducks described in an Eckhart Tolle book Nancy was reading. “Rapture” features a rare ducky head Jean found. The piece uses orange, green, and aqua to create visual tension, which is harmonized by a refracted glass overlay, producing an effect similar to flapping feathers. As Tolle describes: “[After] two ducks get into a fight, which never lasts long, they will separate and float off in opposite directions. Then each duck will flap its wings vigorously a few times, thus releasing the surplus energy that built up during the fight. After they flap their wings, they float on peacefully, as if nothing had ever happened.”
The duo remains grounded in the process rather than the product. “The journey is as important as the product,” Nancy explains.
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